I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Countless evil spirits surged forth like a tidal wave, roaring as they vowed to utterly destroy the entire city!

Meanwhile, on the defensive line in front of Xingsha City, the elite soldiers of the provincial capital's special operations department, led by Zhang Yunxiao, were fighting with their last ounce of strength to hold their ground.

The entire position was already a bloody mess, a truly horrific sight!

"Elder Zhang! The brothers can't hold on much longer! The talismans are exhausted, the spiritual energy is depleted, we really can't hold on any longer!"

A member of the Special Operations Department, covered in wounds, roared with red eyes, his voice filled with despair and resentment!

"Even if we can't hold on, we must hold on! Fight to the death, never retreat!"

Holding twin peach wood swords, Zhang Yunxiao, his aged yet upright body standing firm like an unyielding pine, stood firmly rooted at the forefront of the defensive line. His voice boomed like thunder: "Behind us lies Xingsha City! Behind us are hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians! If we retreat, they will die without a burial place! Therefore, even if we fight to the last soldier, we must not retreat!"

"Fight to the death, never retreat!"

All the surviving members of the Special Operations Department looked up in unison, their eyes flashing with resolute light. Their tragic roars shook the heavens and the earth. Even though they were covered in blood and their spiritual energy was exhausted, not one of them retreated even a single step!

On the small hill opposite Xingsha City, countless evil spirits lurked, like dark clouds pressing down overhead!

At the top of the mountain, the Blood Demon General, who led 100,000 ghost troops, stood in mid-air. He was tall and handsome, but his clothes, stained with blood, exuded a chilling aura of ferocity that was completely out of place with his appearance.

He was the strongest ghost general under the Demon King, dispatched to annihilate Xingsha City, the provincial capital, which was under the command of the Provincial Special Operations Department.

Although the previous battles resulted in the loss of many ghost soldiers, they also depleted more than half of the cultivators at the Special Operations Headquarters.

At this moment, standing on his left and right sides were two trusted and fierce ghosts, both of whom were vicious and evil, and each possessed the power of a quasi-ghost general!

"My lord, with our strength, we could break through these humans' defenses in one fell swoop. Why waste time here with them?"

The vengeful ghost on the left was filled with confusion and couldn't help but ask.

He could have finished the battle quickly, but he insisted on dragging it out. He really didn't understand his boss's thinking!

"Look at this group of people, aren't they heroic? Aren't they moving?"

The Blood Demon flicked his fingers lightly, his tone slow and leisurely, tinged with a morbid amusement, "Knowing it's impossible yet still doing it, embracing the certainty of death to protect others—isn't that what humans call a 'hero'?"

"Heroes? I think that's foolish!"

The vengeful ghost on the right sneered, its tone disdainful: "They think they can stop us like this? They're just throwing their lives away!"

"We were once living, breathing human beings too. We should know that sometimes, people aren't stupid, they're just too obsessed!"

The Blood Demon General's eyes turned sinister, and his voice deepened: "To die for others with the resolve to perish—beneath this heroic act lies resentment, hatred, and an overwhelming murderous aura!"

He paused, a cruel smile playing on his lips: "You think I'm going to spare their lives? Wrong! I just want to intensify their emotions, to make them burn even brighter! When they witness the destruction of the city and people they're protecting, the despair and resentment they feel will be enough to turn them into vengeful ghosts after they die!"

"Most of these special operations personnel are cultivators from the Xuanmen sect, with solid foundations. Once they transform into vengeful ghosts, each of them has the potential to become a ghost general! At that time, I will be able to gain a group of subordinates who are a hundred times stronger than you useless trash. Why not?"

Hearing the Blood Demon General's scheme, the two trusted vengeful ghosts hurriedly nodded and bowed, their faces full of flattery: "Your Excellency is wise! This plan is brilliant! We admire you!"

But in his heart, he was secretly delighted, and even felt a little pity for the people in the Special Operations Department. They were called his confidants, but in reality, serving him was like walking on thin ice. Blood Demon General was unpredictable and his life could be in danger at any time if they followed him!

If Zhang Yunxiao and his group really become vengeful ghosts and replace them, then they can break free from control and regain their freedom!

The thought of the tragic fate of becoming the Blood Demon General's confidants made them look at the Special Operations Department with an inexplicable pity.

Zhang Yunxiao would never have imagined that the reason they had been able to hold on until now was not because they were tenacious enough, but because the Blood Fiend Ghost General wanted to "nourish" their resentment and treat them as the designated "reserve ghost generals"!

If he knew the truth, his expression would be incredibly interesting!

"The demons' attacks are getting fiercer! The defenses are about to break!"

"I really can't hold on any longer! My talismans are long exhausted, my spiritual energy is depleted, and my cultivation is almost gone. I can only tough it out!"

"Fellow Daoists, I can't hold on any longer. The rest is up to you!"

The front line was on the verge of collapse. One by one, the members of the special operations team were running out of ammunition and food. They were covered in wounds and teetering on the brink of collapse, but they still gritted their teeth and refused to retreat!

At that moment, a cruel smile flashed in the eyes of the Blood Demon General atop the mountain. He suddenly waved his hand and shouted, "The time has come! Skip these humans and head straight for Star Sand City! I will make them watch as everything they protect is reduced to nothing!"

Countless evil spirits received the order and rushed over like hungry wolves, but instead of killing the Special Operations Department personnel, they bypassed them and charged straight towards the unsuspecting Star Sand City!

"Damn it! This devil has such a vicious mind!"

The members of the Special Operations Department were not relieved to have survived; instead, their eyes were bloodshot and their teeth were clenched. They instantly understood the Blood Demon General's intention!

"He doesn't kill us; he wants to torture us! He wants us to watch helplessly as Xingsha City falls and the people die tragically, so that we will become vengeful ghosts after death and become his slaves!"

"I'd rather be annihilated than be a lackey of this evil spirit!"

A middle-aged Taoist priest stood up unsteadily, and even though his spiritual power was exhausted, he mustered his last bit of strength to rush towards the evil spirit!

"It's too late!"

Zhang Yunxiao closed his eyes, and two lines of tears slid down his cheeks. The evil spirit had already rushed to the edge of Xingsha City, and he could clearly hear the screams and cries of the people in the city!

Knowing full well about the Ghost General's conspiracy, he was powerless to stop it and could only watch helplessly as it unfolded. Resentment, frustration, and grief welled up in his heart like a tidal wave!

We vowed to protect our land and its people while we were alive, so why should we become slaves to evil spirits and bring disaster to the world after we die?

For those who are willing to give their lives to protect others, this is undoubtedly the cruelest torture in the world!

"Hahaha! So what if you guessed it? You had no choice!"

The Blood Demon General chuckled sinisterly as he floated towards Star Sand City, wanting to get a close look at the despair of the citizens before their deaths. In his eyes, it was the most beautiful scene in the world!

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from afar, getting closer and clearer!

Howling!

It was as if someone had suddenly pulled on the reins, and the sound of hooves came to an abrupt halt!

"I finally made it."

A calm yet infinitely majestic voice rang out. At first, it sounded from afar, but in an instant, it became crystal clear, and finally, it exploded between heaven and earth like a thunderclap!

Zhong Jiu descended from the sky!

Fearing he might arrive too late, he didn't hesitate to leave the Xuanjia Army behind, even abandoning his ghostly warhorse, and relied solely on his own divine power to transform into a streak of light and head straight for Xingsha City!

At this moment, thousands of evil spirits have reached the edge of Star Sand City and are about to break down the gates!

Zhong Jiu's eyes turned cold, and the Demon-Slaying Sword was suddenly drawn. The sword light poured down like a silver river and rushed down like a waterfall, slashing fiercely at the group of evil spirits!

boom!

Wherever the sword light passed, all the evil spirits and vengeful ghosts were reduced to dust, leaving not even a wisp of black smoke, turning that area into a vacuum!

"It's the gods of the underworld! The gods of the underworld have come to our aid!"

Zhang Yunxiao suddenly opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and his eyes burst with wild joy, his voice trembling!

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements from the Underworld! We're saved! Star Sand City is saved!"

Everyone in the Special Operations Department had trembling lips and were shaking with excitement. They had persevered for so long, and just when they were on the verge of despair, they finally saw hope!

"Who goes there? How dare you ruin my plans!"

Blood Demon General locked his gaze on Zhong Jiu at a glance, his eyes filled with extreme gloom, and blood flowed from the corner of his eye again. He had died tragically in a car accident before his death, and his eyeballs were crushed. This was his old wound, and it would bleed whenever he was angry!

Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light, carrying overwhelming killing intent, and pounced straight at Zhong Jiu!

"Today I have slain nine ghost generals, and my killing intent is at its peak. Any ghost general who knows what's good for me will avoid me. You, however, have quite the nerve, daring to deliver yourself to your death! Truly, ignorance is bliss!"

Zhong Jiu naturally noticed the Blood Demon General rushing towards him, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. Instead of avoiding him, he took the initiative to meet him!

Once this scoundrel is killed, the siege of Xingsha City will be lifted, and his mission will be successfully completed!

"Gods, beware! This fiend is the Blood Fiend General, utterly ruthless. He once slaughtered several towns in one fell swoop; his strength is immense!"

Seeing Zhong Jiu directly confronting the Blood Demon General, Zhang Yunxiao was afraid something might go wrong, so he quickly shouted a reminder, his tone full of worry!

But his voice was too soft and was drowned out by the wind; Zhong Jiu didn't hear it at all!

Even if he heard it, he wouldn't care. In his eyes, a mere ghost general was as easy to kill as slaughtering pigs and dogs, not worth mentioning!

"Oh no! The gods have been careless!"

Seeing Zhong Jiu charge straight at the Blood Demon General, Zhang Yunxiao was sweating bullets for him, his heart pounding in his chest!